THEDILEMMA OFGRASSROOTINCULTURATION

OF THEGOSPEL:
A CASESTUDYOFA MODERNCONTROVERSY
IN
1983-1989
IGBOLAND,
BY
OGBU U. KALU
ofNigeria,
(University Nsukka)
I. ABundle ofDilemmas
TheRoman CatholicHolyGhostFathers evangelizedthesemi-
savannah Northern Igboland inthe1900's. Withinthefirstthree
decades,theystaked outbounds, whiletheprocess ofconsolidation
followedthereafter.
Thissecond rhythm ofchristianizationsought
to establishdomesticchristianvaluesandtouched offa virulent
reactionfromprimalreligionistsasthelureofnovelty worethin.
Theheartbeat oftheconflict
wasa cultural ofthissub-
peculiarity
culturetheatreofIgboland, namely, thecentralityofanancestral
cultcalledOdo.Theseareancestral spiritswhoperiodically visit
anddwellamong menforlongperiods ranging fromsixto nine
months. Evenwhentheyreturnto theancestral spiritualworld,
theirinfluence on humancommunities persists.The cycleof
return,departure,waiting periodandreturncontrols thespiritual
lifeoftheirhumanprogenies. They,thus,createa covenant tradi-
tionwhichisenduring andpowerful.
Whenchristianitycomes intosucha cultural a dilemma
theatre,
iscreated:a newcovenant isprofferedwhich theviability
rejects of
thetraditionalcovenantatthecorelevel,especially
asthechristian
messengers are challengedto builda newfellowship whichis
integratedintotheoldlifeandculture ofthepeople.Thechallenge
operatesalongcertain (a)toexpress
grooves: thechristianmessage
inthepeople's idiom;(b)toweave a newbondof loyaltywhich con-
frontsthe oldthroughchristian nurtureandproclamation. In
recenttimes,thereceptor communities havebecome concerned
that,aftermanyyearsofchristian contact,thechurch stillexists
as
a stranger.Theclarion-call
hasbeenmadethatthemessage should
 49
be adapted, indigenized, incarnated
contextualized, and inculturated
(Ukpong, 1980). Thecatalogue ofterms,which runabove a dozen,
betraybytheirmerenumbers, thedilemma of howtoposetheques-
tionmeaningfully. Thereis a feeling thatthemessage hasnot
developed enduring rootsandthatthenewcovenant hasnotover-
throwntheold.Theresilience, persistenceandendurance ofthe
traditional
covenants ispalpable. Thereisa callfora newstrategy
totackletheapparent failure
because themission hasneither been
accomplished northechallenge dulymet.A bundleofdilemmas
weigh heavily onthechristian agents.
Asa caveat, a sagequipped that,giventhenumber ofcenturies
withinwhich thetraditionaldeities encrusted theirsway,it would
betoomuchtoexpect towipeouttheoldcovenants
christianity in
lessthantwocenturies. Therefore, theeffortshould ratherfocus on
thegainsmadeandtheinternal
extolling revamping oftoolsforthe
assaultonnewgrounds. Thisisanoptimistic exitwhich begsthe
questionaboutviabletoolsfora newassault anddoesnotresolve
thebundle ofdilemmas.
Beyond theproblem ofposing thequestion, scholarshavehad
problems withtheanswers articulated.Somearguethattheessen-
tialmessage ofthegospel couldbeproclaimed, evenfromtheroof
top,inanynative idiom;thattheuniversality ofthegospel doesnot
preclude differentiatedexpressions. Theinnerexperience of the
meaning ofChristis thesame,butexpression wearscontextual
garb.Onewonders whether thecoreissueis theologizing in an
Africanidiom. Theinnate quality oftheChristian
of translatability
Gospel, which LaminSanneh (1991) hasablyargued, should suf-
fice.Perhaps it isnota merematterofcommunication. Aswalls
haveears, so do culturalformshavenuances.Old social
anthropology suchasRuthBenedict's Patterns
ofCultureargued that
eachingredient of a cultureis onlymeaningful withinthetotal
culture.Whenit is borrowed for a different culturalsetting,
problems suffuse.
Othershavearguedthattheindexofindigenization, thatthe
gospelisofthesoilofthecommunity, isthrough dialogueandintegra-
tion.Amidstthecompeting solutions,thereisthefinaldilemma that
muchtheological solutionlackspracticability
inthemidstofa real-
lifeconflict.
Thegapbetween theological reflection
andgrassroots
isthedeparture
reality pointforthisarticle.Whatdoesthechurch
dowhena cultural formiscentral tothelifeofa community and
50
whenthechurch thatcultural
perceives formtobeinimical tothe
affirmation
of thegospelandecclesiastical
tradition?
Howdoes
'dialogueand integration' operatein the heat of conflict?
Experiencehasshown thatrejection
oftraditional
culture
andaffir-
mationoftheunique claimofthegospel
merely exacerbate
matters.
Thedilemma ofgrossrootsinculturation
ofthegospelcouldbe
illustrated
withtheconflict
betweentheAkucommunity (Northern
Igboland)andtheRoman CatholicChurch overthecelebrationof
theOdoancestral cult.Suchconflicts
burst,asfromdarkclouds,
inothercommunities
occasionally withintheculturaltheatre,but
thisparticular
caseenjoysadequatedocumentation.Moreover, a
canbestbeachieved
properperspective bytracingtheclouds that
gatheruntiltheybreakintoa heavydownpour andtrailinto
drizzles.
retreating By1983thedarkclouds startedgatheringand
brokeinmid-1989. Theshatteredunityofthecommunity andthe
strained withthechurch
relations likedrizzles,
hierarchy, occupied
therestoftheyear.
II. TheGatheringoftheClouds l: TheStructure
oftheOdoCultus
In theIgbolanguage, odorepresentstheyellow colour which is
thetraditionalcolour oftheOdoancestral cult.Butthemeaning of
thetermisderived differently.Localinformants surmise thatthis
is an elliptical
version ofOdomagala. Thismeanssetting things
right,suggesting thattheseancestral returnintothehuman
spirits
world tosetrighthuman affairswhichmight, bydisorder,incurthe
wrathof thegods.Withina world-view whichoperates witha
cyclicalconception oftime,lifepasses frombirththrough deathto
a reincarnation.Thespiritworldisa mirrorofthehumanworld
andtheancestors, thosewholivedworthy livesanddiedina non-
mysterious fashion, sojourn through thespirit-worldwithmuch
interestintheaffairs oftheirhuman progenies.Theyarecalled the
living-dead.Muchoftheliterature inAfrican traditionalreligion
hasdwelt uponthisanddoesnotneedrepetition. Odomagala,there-
fore,emphasizes thefunction ofthecultandcontains or encap-
sulatesa wealth ofIgbophilosophy oflife.
InNorthern Igboland, a samplestudyof 68deities
shows thatthe
dominant concerns of the primalreligionare naturedeities,
ancestral deitiesandspiritforce-thatis, spiritswhichenhance,
preserve ordestroy lifeandfortunes. Theyarelinked: thelandis
 51
sacredbecause theancestorsareesconced in herwombandthe
imbuespirits
ancestors which assisttheirprogeniestoenhancethe
tolive,andtoenjoythegoodthings
capacity oflifetoa venerable
oldage.Thesedeitiesprovide protectionfromtheenvyandcom-
ofothers.
petition Spiritforces
could betapped forbothsalient
and
destructivepurposes.Thus,the coreelementof the primal
in thiscultural
religiosity theatreis thecultof ancestors
(Kalu,
Onunwa, Inyama,1989).
Table I
Distribution
of Deitiesin Northern Igboland

TheOdoancestral cultloomsso largein the religious

con-
sciousnessofthisregionthattheynametheirchildrenafterthe
cult:Odo,Odoaja, Nwodo, Odeke andsoon.It mustbeadded
thatthesemi-savannah regionofIgbolandcouldbedividedinto
twosub-culture zonesidentifiable
by theprevalentancestral
cult.In theNsukka area,theOmabe cultispredominant. Its
structural
featuresaresimilartoOdo.Theprovenance ofOdo
isinthreesub-sectors,
known asIgbodo.
generally Theseconsist
of:
i. North-EastofOldNsukka Division:
Ikem,Neke,Eha-Amufu;
ii. South-East of OldNsukka division:
Ukehe,Aku,Akpugo,
Udueme,Ohebe-Dim, Umunko,Umuna,Onyehe,
Ochima, Ikolo,IdohaandDiogbe;
iii. NorthUdidistrict:Umuoka, Umulumgbe, Affa,Nze,Ukana,
Akpakwume, Egede,Ebe,Awhum, Okpatu, Abo,Nsude,
Ngwo.
52
Table
II
Deities
ofAncestral
Sample ofNorthern 1 *'
Igboland

*1.Derived
from
my'GodsofourFathers:
ATaxonomy
ofDeities
inIgboland',
A
Research
Project.
*2.Thequality
ofsacrifices
indicate
thedegree inthecommunal
ofimportance con-
sciousness.
It is believedamongthesecommunities thata certainspiritual
linkagewebsthemintheancestral world,inspiteoftheintervening
distancesinthehuman world,andthattheOdoancestors starttheir
journeys fromEha-Iheyi in theEha-Amufu environ andweave
theirwaythrough alltheeighteen communities.
Thus,fromtheageoftwelve, everymalechildmustbecom-
pulsorilylinkedtohisancestorsthrough aninitiationritual.Even
whenchristianitycameandtheschool calendar became disruptive,
uncles andfatherswouldactassurrogates toweave thecovenant
of identityandbelonging. Assoonasthegrandancestral spirit
calledOdo-Ububa wouldenterthehumanworld,newentrants
wouldinquirefromthe controlling priestaboutthe initiation
requirements anddate.It mustbeonanNkwo market day.It was
obligatory and,asaninformant it couldserveasa form
insisted,
ofcensus ofbirths.It waspresumed thatfromsuchanage,a child
 53
couldlearnto keepthecultsecretfromwomen anduninitiates.
Thus,it wouldbequiteimpossible to bea nativeofthesecom-
munities without beingcovenanted to theancestral spirits.
Froma sample oftheliturgyinthecelebration ofthecult,the
dwellersinthisculture zonebelieve thatthesespirits aretheirpro-
tectors,
guardians andconstitute theirlife-support.Prosperity and
healthcamefromtheancestral spirits.Forinstance, at Ukehe,
whentheOdo-Ububa masquerade dances inthevillage square,the
priestcallsout:
`Odo-Ububa Ubeke, wereoji= Odo-Ububa Ubeke, hereiskola.'
Thisisrepeated fivetimeswithvariations substituting thevaried
manifestations of the ancestors; for instance, AjimaNwazenyi,
Elumule Umacha, Efoke OnyiandEtoke Okpue. Then,the priest
presentsthepetitions:
1.Please,
wesolicit foryour Asyouhave
protection. ourlives
returned, are
inyour custody. Neveryouacceptany us.You
eviltobefall arethegreat
ofa
kingsand greattown.You areawareofallthat inthe
happened past, in the
present theones thatwill
happen infuture.
Afterextolling the omniscience of the ancestralspirits,he
cataloguesthespecific requests:
2.Odo, youarewelcome;
Protect
us;
Giveusgood life;
Giveuslong life;
Giveusprosperity. (Nwokwor, 1990)
Theseancestral spiritsareassigned mostoftheattributes ofGodas
wellasexpected to perform allthedutiesofa Creator. Theyare
worshipped. Thesacrificial materials include tenderpalmfronds,
eaglefeathers, kolanuts,palmwine,richlycooked food,goats,
cocks,rams,cowsandarticles ofclothing (inrichcolours). It is
believed thatlavishexpense ofgiftsandfoodto theOdospirits
ensuresbountiful rewards in one'sbusiness andlifeendeavours.
Acriticalinformant madethreeobservations; a)mostmenspend
a lotofmoney andtimethatcouldhavebeenusedreasonably for
otherthingsthrough thelongperiodofsixto ninemonths when
Odospirits areinresidence; b)muchfoodiswasted because more
foodiscarried toOdoshrines thancanbeconsumed andwomen
arenotallowed toeattheleft-over whenthefoodistakenhome;
c)a lotofmoney, which couldhavebeenusedintheeducation of
childrenandotherproductive ventures, issquandered duringthe
54
Odofestival period. Thebiasbetrays aneducated indigene. Butthe
emphasis isthatpeople spendmuchinthehopethatthespirits will
reward theirgenerosity in equalmeasure.
Theoriginofthecultissomewhat uncertain. Asixty-four-year-
oldpriestfromUwelle Amokufia, a village in theUkehegroup,
said(in1990) that
Thestory of Odocultoriginatedfrom aparticularwoman fetchingfirewood,
who sawthefirst Odointhebush. The strange sight terrified
her;sheran
home andreported tothehusband who hurried tothespot withthewife.
When theman sawthestrange heexclaimed,
figure, 'EleO?'Thestrange
figure
respnded, 'Elenwa m'.From thattime,'Ele'became apassword for
Odomasquerade.
It became alsothepseudonym forthesecret cult.Variations ofthe
mythoforigin abound. Another version claims thatthewoman was
returning frommarket where shewenttopurchase kolanut.Even
in fright,sheoffered thestrange figuresomekolanut,
When thekolanutwas broken thestrange
byand figure, ityieldedthreelobes.
TheOdoappreciated thisoffer established a relationship
withthe
woman. Heaccompanied herhome, protectingher againstinvaders.But
when they reachedtheoutskirts ofthevillage,theOdo took refugeinthe
bush.Thewoman reported tothevillagefolk.Oninspection, theysaw and
exclaimed,'EleO!' Thestrange figure
responded, 'Ele,umum'(Ele, my
A
children). divinerbetrayed the factthat the strange was
figure their
ancestorwho came from thelandofthedead, wanting to commune with
them.
Theyoffered sacrifices andcemented theculticrelationship. A
thirdmythoforigindescribes several odofigures, eachcarrying a
matchet. Theseareaetiological mythsprecisely because current
practicescombine allthelayersofthevarious traditions. E. Eze
(1980) emphasized further aspects, namely, theelaborate ritualof
propitiation withcowsandsuchlikeaswellastheprotective cove-
nantwoven withtheancestral spirit.HeaddedthatwhenCross
RiverIgbopeople (Abiriba, OhafiaandAbam)raidedNorthern
Igbocommunities, theyfailedin theareaswheretheOdocult
predominated because theprotective ancestors routedtheinvaders
andcreated a secure cordon aroundtheirprogenies.
Beyond theseaetiological andahistorical mythsoforigin,some
effortshavebeenmadeto establish morehistorical origins.A.J.
Shelton'sstudyof Igbo-Igala Borderland (1971) tracestheorigin of
OdoandOmabeto Igalaland. Localsources vehemently dispute
thisas baseless in spiteof obvious linksbetween theIgalaand
 55
Nsukka Igbo.In Akucommunity, thereis stillanothertradition
linkingOdowithoneofthebastions ofIgbohistoriography.
SomeAkuelderstracetheiroriginto NriandassertthatOdo,
therefore,camefromNri;thatthisexplains thedirgeontheday
beforeOdodeparts totheSpiritWorld:
Igbo: Nshi Namoke Nwa OkporoOdudu,
EzitereOdonaonoghalu n'igbo.
NriNamoke,
English: Odudu
sonof Okporo (thefirst
kingofNri),
Hassenta message outside.
thatOdohasoverstayed
(Okafu,29/8/83)
BeforeOdodeparts, eachleading Odoin Akuwouldgiveout
threelamenting wails(iwa-oka):
Igbo: Eshim Oka!
English:I amfrom Awka(intheNrihegemony)!
(Ezike,
1983)
Thiswouldinformalltheshrines oftheimminent departure.
However, thislinkageofferslittlehelpbecause the wholeof
Northern Igboland labours undertwoclaims oforigin-Igala and
Nri.Theseweredominant andritualcentres.
military It wasas
fashionable toweave sucha linkageasitwasformanywestern and
north-western IgbotolooktoBenin,another militarycentre.The
Nri-Awka origincontradicts anotherversion whichsaysthatthe
fullnameofOdois Ugwuoke ElechiwhileOmabeis Ugwuoke
Alekeandthatbothcultsrepresent a greatancestor, Ugwuoke
(Malehill).TheascentofOdohillmustbein hishonour!
TheOdorepresents notanancestor butmanyancestors-male
adults,women, youth-andbetraysthecharacteristics ofmany
individuals-the jovial,wise,wildand decorous. EachOdo
typeis represented bya masquerade. Thus,eachancestral spirit
emanates intheformofa specific masquerade. Broadly,theOdo
ancestralspiritsaregrouped eachbroadtypecontaining
into five,
manycharacters inTableIII. Eachcommunity
asillustrated has
itsownnamesbutthetypesarethesame.
Category I masquerades areowned bya clan.Withintheclanor
groupofvillages, eachvillage ownsCategories II-Vmasquerades.
Eachmasquerade or sub-type hasa priestchosen fromspecified
basedontradition.
families, Someancestral havegroves
spirits or
shrineswhileothersarehoused inthehomes oftheoldest person,
Onyishi, whoalsoservesas thepriest.Before thereturnofthe
ancestral fromthenetherworld,
spirits suchshrines andhomes are
56
III
Table
ofOdoMasqueraders
Typology in Ukehe,
Northern
Igboland.

cleaned
andfencedtoguardagainst
thepryingeyesofwomen
or
uninitiates.
AsoneoftheOdosongsteases:
Omalu Ezehe?
Igorigo
Omalu omalu
omalu,
Igorigo,
Omalu azu?
igotegh
Omaluimeagaa?
 57
FreeTranslation:
Gapingwoman,
Whatwill
youdo?
Ifyouknow,
evenifyouknow,
Won'tyou
buy fishfor
Odo?
Ifyouknow,
whatwillyoudo?
1990)
(Nwokwor,
Torepeata caution: ineachcommunity, differentnamesmaybe
giventotheOdotypesandsub-types butthefunctions andgeneric
remain
functions thesame.Therearethreeimportant sequences in
thenine-month returnofthegodsasguests: (i)Thereturnorentry
intothecommunity, (ii)Theascent ofthehilland(iii)Thedepar-
ture.Ceremonies markthewholenine-month period,butsome
communities puta premium ontheentryperiod whileothersturn
thedeparture eventintoa climactic, community affair.It mustbe
emphasized thatallthreestages areimportant. Thespecific case
study,OdoAkulaysmuchemphasis onthedeparture eventcalled
UlaOdo Aku(thedeparture ofOdoinAku).Insomecommunities
thisstageis ratherlow-keyed andsad.Somemencrythatthe
areleaving.
ancestors Acyniccallsit 'Monday Blues'aftera long
ofease.Asecond
festival pointofemphasis isthatthecalendar of
return,ascentanddeparture isfixedbydivination andcannot be
amended. Thus,ifthedeparture dayfallsona Sunday (inthechris-
tiancalendar),it cannotbeshifted. Forinstance, in thosechris-
tianized
partsof Igboland, ifthevillage'smarket dayfellona Sun-
day,usually themarket would notbeheld.ButwithinIgbo-Odo
(thosepartsofIgboland whereOdocultexists), nosuchamend-
mentis allowed ontheOdocalendar.
Thereis a dramatic qualityto theOdocult.Scholars dubit
magictheatre. Asistypical ofanyfestival, thedramastartswith
thepreparationperiod,through thebeginning ofthereturn(Mgbafu
Odo),followedbythereturnoftherestoftheancestors (Nluamlua).
Themiddle sectionofthedramaconsists ofa grandoutingofall
themasquerades celebrated withfestivities.
Theascent oftheOdo
hillheralds
thebeginning ofthedeparture (UlaOdo)intheninth
month.
Thefirstcategory ofancestors toreturnaretheOdoEworozara
andMbiaraka. Manyothersreturnin theNluamlua period. Then
the datesforthe Great-Grand Ancestors-Nnema and Ewuru
Odo-come. Thisheralds theperiodwhennewinitiates canbe
58
covenanted (Ofufu Ama). ThewildObadike andOgadike spirits
thenemerge fromtheSpirit world. OdoUkwu, theGreatOne,also
visits.Heeatssumptuously andhumorously, castigates
wrongdoers
anddeparts onthesameday.Various ritualcelebrations at clan,
villageandfamily levelsoccupy thesemonths. Giftsareexchanged
andtherootsofthepeople aresacralized andsolidified.
Themostcolourful pointisjustbefore theascent oftheOdohill
whenallthemasquerades invade themarketsquare. Women are
allowed todancetothemelodious music supplied by'spirits'from
enclosures. Theentirecommunity surges outin itsfinery.It isa
timeofrevelry. SomeoftheOdomasquerades havetoberescued
fromfemale consortstoembark onthearduous ascentatdusk.The
villagesquarebecomes deserted aspeople anxiously waittohear
whether theancestors madeit safely tothehills.Onceina while,
a loudshrillof WAHOHO rends! !thenightair,announcing a suc-
cessfulascentofyetanother ancestor.
Thiseventsignals thatthefinaldeparture isnear.Preparations
begin.Sacrifices,petitions andvowsaremade.Thosewhowould
escortthespiritsarechosen andbeginto armthemselves with
empowering charms. Suchjourneys arehazardous asritualtaboos
girdthemovements. Forinstance, anincautious escortwhomoves
in frontofanancestral spiritiskilled.
In somecommunities, suchasAku,a massreturnofsonsand
daughters is prescribedbeforeUlaOdo. Meetings areheldto sort
outtheaffairs ofthecommunity amidst theritualsofOdo.Thus
thewhole community is recovenanted to theancestral spirits.In
somecommunities, theparaphernalia oftheOdospiritsis taken
roundthevillages topayfinalhomage toevery family andre-assure
themof ancestral protection duringthe interval of a two-year
absence. Thedayof departure is a dangerous period:women,
uninitiates, strangers in the community including government
workers, teachers,boarders in secondary schools,arenotallowed
out-doors. Thesecrets ofthecultaswellastheesoteric ritualsare
shrouded froma sector ofthepopulace. Theancestors finallyleave
thehumanworld.
Criticspointtothewildactivities oftheyouthful andexuberant
Ogadike groupofOdomasquerades andto therestrictions puton
women. Thisshould notsuggest thatwomen donotplayanyrole
intheOdocult.InAku,women feature intheceremonies shown
in TableIV.
 59
Table
IV
Female
roles
inOdoCult:theAkuExample

However,onlymalesundertake certain suchasEgorigo

aspects
NtibeUhamu,OfufuAma(initiation), Ogbugba UhamOtutu
Odu(hailing
Odo),OsusoOdo(running aroundwiththemas-
afterit, singing
looking
querade). hissong,makingtheshrineor
homestead, hisroute,preparing
clearing theanimalsacrifice
and
60
soon.Women doallthecooking, receiveandgivegifts,enjoythe
music,
festivity-colours, clothesandrevelry.InAku,forinstance,
theOdo-Ayi Gberere is nicknamed Oyi-Umunwanyi (Women's
Odo).Hedoesnotmolest themasdotheboisterous Ogadaand
Ugwu-Ugwoke (Ogadike sub-types). Rather,Ayidemonstrates
dancestyles
andgivesmenandwomen kola-nutfromhispocket in
ofmonetary
anticipation returns.ButtheOdoseason is a tense
periodforwomen becauseoftaboos andrestrictions.
Themolesta-
tionoffemalesis rampantduringtheOdoseason (Idike,1983).
In Aku,theancestral spiritsvisitforsixmonths. Theymust
departon an Nkwomarketday.On thatday,no womanor
uninitiate
goesoutfrommorning tillnight.Ontheprevious day,
Aformarketday,peopleslaughter goats,pigs,cows,sheep andfowl
tocelebrate
theendoftheseason. Thedeparture is conducted in
utmostsecrecyona longdefined route.

III. TheRains:TheConflict
of1983
Asmentioned the
earlier, process ofchristianizationwithinthe
partofIgboland inwhich Odoiscelebrated, Igbo-Odo, in
started
thesecond decade ofthe1900's.Thediscovery ofbitumen coalin
theUdihillsin 1909turnedtheattention ofthecolonial govern-
menttothisarea.Anevacuation railroad,running fromEnuguto
PortHarcourt (ontheAtlanticseafront),wascompleted between
1913and1916.Meanwhile, theaftermath oftheAroExpedition
openedtheIgbohinterland andattracted themissionary bodies
fromthecoastal areasintothehinterland inthewakeof'pacifica-
tion'.Acompetitionforspheresofinfluence ensued (Kalu,1992a).
Another determiningfactorwasthecareer ofa localchief,Chief
Onyeama ofEke.Hiscommunity bordered onthecoaldeposit and
his foresightandfriendly towards
disposition the newcolonial
agentswasimportant. He organised the supplyof labourfor
government ChiefOnyeama
projects. wasan enlightened despot
whosought thepeople's improvement (Onyeama, 1982). A colo-
nialofficerdescribedtheIgbaja-Udi groupofvillages as being
extremelyfractious.
Theygloried ininter-communal warfare.But
oncea year,theywould laydownarmsandcelebrate atanancestral
shrinelocatedat Nsude.ChiefOnyeama wasa manofhispeople.
Hetypifiedtheminhisaggressive obstinacy andbyforceofcharac-
terbecame a rulerandcohesive force.Hetravelled roundsettling
 61
disputes.Thisman,aboutwhomnumerous anecdotes ofviolence
abound, became thechairman ofa native court.Hisambition was
to raisea number ofeducated indigeneswhocoulddealwiththe
colonialists.He therefore approached the Anglicans in nearby
Awka.Theysenta blackpriest,IsaacEjindu,to evangelize
Onyeama's ButtheAnglicans
suzerainty. hada policy toteachthe
juniorclassesinthevernacular. Theimport forthecommunication
ofthegospel anddevelopment oftheIgbolanguage wasimmense
butunappreciated. TheChiefwasastounded andargued thathis
peoplealready knewenough Igbolanguage andwanted Englishfor
survival.
political HethrewoutpoorIsaacandmolested Anglicans
all overIgbaja-Udi. HethensenttoIgbariam, nearOnitsha, for
theRoman Theymadeaninitialcontact
Catholics. butlacked the
manpower forconsistent
evangelization. Theoutbreak oftheFirst
WorldWarputsevere strainsonmanpower capability-theAlsa-
tianpriestswerewithdrawn froma British forsecurity
territory
reasons.
RomanCatholic missionary enterprise tookup thechallenge
in theinter-war
seriously years.FromOjiRiverto Nsukka and
throughout theIgbo-Odo cultural theatre,ChiefOnyeama eased
thepathsoftheRoman Catholics andblocked thechances forthe
Anglicans. Between 1918and1938,mostofthecommunities in
Northern Igboland witnessed RomanCatholic influence.Asthe
fameof Onyeama spread,friendlycontactswidened. Many
admired him.Some, likeChiefAttama NwaMbaof Eha-Amufu,
imitatedhimbybecoming a bastion ofcolonial support. Others
werecowed down,whiletheschool strategy as wellastheper-
ofthewhitemissionaries
sonality ensured theinitialimpetus. For
instance,in Aku,ChiefUgwuManu,an admirerof Chief
Onyeama, invitedtheRomanCatholics to visitfromAguleri in
1922.Local sourcesrecall
Fathers Murray andGrandin astheearly
A school
evangelizers. startedand,by 1952,Akuhadbecome a
withovera dozen
parish outstations.Itgrewsomuchthat,in1977,
Ukehe Parish wascarved outofAkuParish (Eneasato etal,1985).
Akeycharacteristic ofchristian presence inNorthern Igboland
wasthattheAnglicans hada measure ofsuccess in Igbaja-Udiat
theoneendandin Nsukka at theother,leaving theintervening
area,whichconstitutes theheartof Igbo-Odo, solidly Roman
Catholic.Thisexplainswhythecontroversy wasagainst thelatter.
ChiefOnyeama diedin1933 atthetimewhentheprocess of con-
62
solidation
ofchristianity wasstarting. Thedomestication ofchris-
tianvalues coincided withtheeconomic crunch oftheDepression
to arouselocalresistance. TheAbaWomen's Riotoccurred in
1929/30.Butbefore then,theNwaobiala Dance bywomen in 1925
wasa harbinger protestmovement. Reaction tothecolonial revolu-
tionwasformulated inreligious terms:thegodswereangryat the
attackontraditional mores.Theworld-view waspredicated ona
moralorder.Admittedly,
religious thecolonial government neither
possessedenough ethnographical datatounderstand theproblem
norenough manpower forthetaskofgovernance. TheWarrant
Chiefsystem collapsed whileIntelligence Reports wereusedtodig
intothedebris(Afigbo, 1966).
The strategyof the missionaries alsocreateda superficial
existence.
Thecourt-alliance oftendeterred aggressiveevangelism.
Manpower shortage in thefaceofrapidexpansion weakened the
depthoftheprocess. Butneitherthecolonial government northe
mission had developed a viableculturalpolicy.The Roman
Catholicstooka 'liberal'stance,namely to ignoreadherence to
'pagan'culturesandbaptize asmanyaspossible intothefoldinthe
hopethattheywould become trueneophytes later.Resistance scor-
chedthelaststageas primalists struckbackon behalfof the
embattled gods.Liberal culturalpolicybreda compromise stance
intheearlyperiod which madeitdifficult forthechurch toreassert
a Christo-centric
socialethics later.Thisexplains whya commen-
tatorobservedthatwhenBishop Enejawasthefirstparish priestin
Akuin 1952hedidnotdaretooppose theOdocultashisagents
didin 1989.Astherulerofthecommunity informed theparish
prieston26/6/89,1 ambringing toyournotice thatalmost allyout
so-called
christiansareOdoworshippers.'
Weargued earlier
thatthecentrality oftheOdoancestral cultin
thissub-culturezoneisimportant inunderstanding thenatureof
christian
presence. In theearlyperiod,rivalryandthedesireto
stakelargeclaimsweakened theabilitytorootthegospel. Thuscer-
tainareasofcontroversy simmered overa longperiodof time.
Somehaveargued thatthe'cole-glise'
method ateupsomuchtime
in education that proclamation and pastoralcare suffered.
Shanahan sawmatters differently:theschool wasintheservice of
evangelizationandthecapture oftheminds oftheyoung wasseen
asa morevirulent attack onthemores ofthepeople thanconfronta-
tioncouldachieve. Thisstillhasmuchmeritbothin logicand
 63
empiricalresults.Accomodatio wasnotanofficial policy.Indeed, the
official
policy wasthatextra ecclesiam,nullasalusest.Theliberating
airofVatican II worked closely withthelarge-scale development
ofindigenous clergyandpolitical independence to createa new
atmosphere intheperiod1970-90. Dialogue, underVatican apron-
strings,became theofficial attitudetonon-christian religions.
In Igboland, thisperiodwascharacterized bynewforces which
changed the patternof RomanCatholic evangelical strategy.
justbefore
Firstly, theCivilWar(1967-70), thealaduraorIndepen-
dentChurches grewwings inIgboland. Foryears,theyproliferated
in Yorubaland, asJohnPeel(1968) hasshown, whiletheIgbo
people tookthemission churches tobe'therealthing'.R.C.Mit-
chell's
studyhasconfirmed this.Eventheneighbouring Ibibio were
moreenthusiastic towards religious independency. Igboadven-
turismpreferred nationalist AfricanChurches. Buttherealconcern
wastopioneer secondary schools inthe1940's. By1961, communal
andprivately-owned secondary schools weremoreinnumber than
mission andgovernment secondary institutions.DuringtheCivil
Warperiod, ordered mission activitiesweredisrupted. Reliefser-
viceskeptthepriests busyandrelevant. Butthealadura grew.
Something elsehappened: secularist ideology mushroomed
during thedesperate partofthewar,1969-70. TheAhiara Declara-
tion exposeda certainanti-christian ideology. Finally,the
immediate post-war periodwitnessed an unexpected pentecostal
wind.Charismatic movements grewwithinthemission churches
and outside.By 1977,the Festival of AfricanCulturewas
elaboratelycelebrated in Nigeria,givingthe African Cultural
Renaissance a newforce.It flowered in thetheological sceneas
advocacy intensified forindigenization, a missionary moratorium
andAfrican theology. African theology eithertalked ofpower and
socialethicsortackled inculturation (Kalu,1992b).
In1983, therain-drops increased. TheUlaOdo Aku fellona Sun-
day,21stAugust. Thelasttimethisoccurred wasin 1967(16th
July)andnoprotests camefromthechurch withthebugles ofthe
civilwarinthebackground. Butby1983, theforces which wedes-
cribedearlierhadpressured thechurch tobecome moredefensive
andalert.
A prominent Catholic layman,Emmanuel Idike,gathered a
cross-sectionoftheAkucommunity todiscuss thenewawareness
ofthechristianstowards theopposition ofprimal religionists.Ashe
argued,
64
Sincetheinception inAku,therehave
ofchristianity beencontinuous
misunderstandingandbittercontroversy betweenthechristians
andtradi-
tional
worshippersin thetown.The traditional
worshipperswanttoimpose
their
ways ofworship uponchristiansinorder
topreserve the
andperpetuate
traditional
system ofworship ofourforefathers.
Most ofthese are
practices
simplyseenasOmenala areopposed tochristian
faith
andchristianwaysof
life.
Hecatalogued themodes ofvictimization ofchristians:
1.excommunication ofchristians
inthecommunity;
2.imposition ofheavy onthechristians;
fines
3.denial ofrightful
shares;
4.exploitationofchristian
women;
5.demolition ofthevictim's house andthedestruction ofhousehold
property.
1983)
(Idike,
Hetracedtheareasofconflict through the ritesofpassage the
and
Odoancestral cultus andpleaded forharmonious co-existence.He
drewattentionto the embarrassment causedto government
teachers
officers, and secondary schoolboarders whoare not
indigenes.Aninteresting aspect hereisthatEmmanuel Idikelater
onbecame theChairman ofAkuGeneral Assembly whose motto
couldbe liberally translated to mean'Wethrivethroughour
Ancestors'. Hebecame central tothethunderstorm of1989.
In 1983,theappealforpeaceful co-existencedidnotdeterthe
Odocultists. They,however, drewup guidelines to restrainthe
harassment
flagrant offemale school boarders andin 1987madea
deliberateeffort,undertheleadership ofIdike,todiscipline mas-
querades fromUmuori andAmogwu villageswhomolested some
girls(Okechukwu, 1989). Thesewereforced topaycompensation
forscarvesseized fromthegirls.However, theposition oftheAku
GeneralAssembly wasthatsuchdiscipline could onlybecarried out
bytherulerofthecommunity, IgweO.C.Manu,III.
IV. TheThunderstorm:
Thecrisis
of1989
ByEaster1989,
ithadbecome apparent thattheOdoSeason was
nearandthatthecalendar indicated thatthe UlaOdoAku,the
ofAkuancestors,
departure would fallona Sundaywithimmense
forconflict.
potential TheRoman Catholicparishpriest,Rev.Fr.
J.A.W.E.Nnadozieagonizedoverthematter. besurmised
Itcould
thatchangein ministerial
formation amongthe Catholics had
 65
yieldedabandofyounger clerics whowerearticulate, conscientious
anddeeply concerned withthedangerofinculturating thegospel
in a wrong way.Bothat thepastoral andtheological level,Arch-
bishop/Cardinal FrancisArinzepaid muchattentionto this
problem before moving toRomewhere heheadsthesecretariat on
dialogue withnon-christian faiths.
On 20thMay1989,Fr. Nnadozie organized a seminar on
asa preparation
inculturation forthe'faithful'. It wascentred on
fourquestions:
A. Howfardothevalues contained in majorIgbofeastsand
traditional
ritesresemble, differfrom,supplement, contrast,con-
testor complement christian values?
B. Doyouthinkthatthechurch isa tenantinAfrica lookingat
thegoodnewsofJesusChristtheSonoftheLiving God,theLord
oftheUniverse?
C. Howin youropinioncan the obstacles on the wayto
InculturationinAkuparishbebestsolved? Suggest somewaysof
removing theobstacles.
D. Whatclaims hasChristianity touniversal validity?
(Ochiam, 1989)
Thisseminar wascrucialin defining theideology forbattle.It
soughtto evaluatetraditionand culture-especially Odoand
Omabe-in thelightofchristian norms. Theconferees affirmed the
beautyofOdomusicandthejoysofreunion butcondemned the
'pagan'sacrifices, violence and the wasteof resources. They
roundly condemned thecurfews onwomen andtheuninitiated, the
orgiesandthecharms. Theseminar re-affirmedthelocus-standiof
onAfrican
christianity soil.It couldnotbea stranger because God
createdthe wholeuniverse. The Igboacknowledged Godas
supreme before missionariescameand,therefore, worshipping him
through naturedeitieswaswrong, paganandbasedonignorance.
BasedonChrist'sattitude toJewishculture, thegrassroot chris-
tiansin Igboland had the taskof 'amending the culturethat
involvestheworshipping offalsegods'.Christisthe'fatherofall
cultures'.
Theythenzeroed intodefining thepathofinteraction
anddialogue-also froma christian perspective. Theytookspecific
examples ofcoreculturalforms suchastheNewYamFestival, the
Onyisioffice
andtheOzo titles.Theyconcluded thatsacrifices
inthe
NewYamFestival should be removed, turningit intoa purely
merry-making TheOnyisi
festivals. (eldest man)ina kinship group
66
deserves honourandgifts,but thelibations by thisofficerun
counter toChristianity. Manyoftherituals inozo-title-taking
pro-
cesseswerecondemned asunchristian.Fromhere,it wasa short
steptotheapology forthechristian cause,extollingitsuniversality
andsocio-moral contributionstotheenlightenment of Igbopeople.
In spiteofthemerit/demerit approach, theapproach wasoneof
normative ethicsbasedonchristian values.
TheParishCouncil thenwroteto thetraditional rulerofthe
community andtheAkuGeneral Assembly alerting themto the
approaching thunderstorm. TheCouncil informed thepoliceon
14thJune1989thattheactivities ofOdoona Sunday wouldbe
likelyto causea breachofpeacein Aku.Thetraditional ruler
quicklyintervened withthepolice, arguing that
a)theactivity slatedfor16/7/89 wasa custom fromimmemorial
time.TherewereDikwus (cultleaders)fromsixty-five wardsto
ensureproperconduct.
b)theAkuGeneral Assembly haddevised anexit:church ser-
vicesshould lastfrom6.00a.m.to 9.00a.m.Theritualcurfew
would follow thereafter.Heaffirmed that'this
happened in1983 on
Sunday, August 21,Nkwo andtherewasnohitch.'Theonuswas
onchristians tomaintain thecompromise.
c) the prospect of troublewason accountof the invidious
activities
oftheparishpriestwhousedhissermon on 11/6/89 to
revealOdosecrets. According toinformants, 'therewasgreathiss-
ingandwalk-out bychristians, bothmaleandfemale fromthe
church' .
d) the government's culturalrevivalof the ManwuFestival
(FestivalofMasquerades) isanencouragement toretaintraditional
rites.
e) effortshavebeenmadeto visitsecondary schools and
admonish everyone to bedecorous (Manu,26/6/89). Threefacts
stoodout:thechurch's discussionofthematterfromthepulpitand
theeasyresorttothepolice infuriatedboththetraditional rulerand
theAkuGeneral Assembly andmadetheposition ofEmmanuel
Idike,thePresident ofA.G.A.,verydifficult asa patronofthe
church.Theprotagonists insisted
thatAkuchristians werein
favourofOdoandthatwomen werenotprotesting.
On29JunetheCatholic (St.James)ParishCouncil lodged an
official
complaint withtheChairman of theLocalGovernment
Authority rejecting
(Igbo-Etiti) thecompromise ontimeofservice
 67
basedonthespecious legalitythat(i)'universally Sunday is the
DayoftheLord,Dominica Die';(ii)observances areobligatory
andlastthrough thewhole day.Theyrejected thecurfew andthe
authoritanian formoftheorderfromtheA.G.A.Theyconcluded
that
For Peace,
Justice, Law andOrderSecretCultpeoplecould bemade tokeep
to Odoshrinesandpath ways. Forallchristians
bethey activeorlukewarm
cannotacceptthistrafficking
inlawlessness
byOdo fans,operatingunder the
guiseoftraditionandculture.
On3rdJuly,theparishpriestalertedthePoliceCommissioner,
Anambra StateCommand, Enugu,re-echoing thesamepoints.
Thisnotched upthecrisispotential. Thematterhadgonebeyond
theLocalGovernment to theStateGovernment level.TheAku
General Assembly heldanemergency meeting on6thJulytoissue
a nine-point peaceformula.They couchedthe language
carefully-both Sunday servicesandUla-Odo should beheldon
thebasisof'liveandletlive'.Yetthisre-affirmed thetimelimit
without mentioning it. Theimpression wasleftthateveryone was
freeto moveabout,yettheydidnotremove thecurfew. They
admonished Odocelebrants tousethetraditional routeswhilethe
'mainroads'should remain free.Butthetownhadspread intothe
`traditional
routes'andthe'mainroads'werenotthepoints ofcon-
tentionprecisely because theOdopeople couldnotenforce any
obstructionsthere.
Onl lthJuly,theGovernor's officeintervened, possiblyonthe
prompting oftheBishop ofEnugu. Thetraditional rulerreceived
theominous reminder bytheCommissioner that
I amtowarn thatyouwill bepersonally
held foranybreakdown
responsible
oflawandorder thatmayarisefrom theattempt ofthe AkuGeneral
Assembly totamper with thereligious
programme ofanychristianchurch in
Aku.
Office
(Governor's toManu, 11/7/89)
D-Day came. The of
Bishop Enugu came to St. JamesChurch,
Aku,in person.Busloadsof 'faithful' arrivedfromall over the
parishandthemasslastedtheentireday.Twenty-four priests
ministeredasthechurch refused toallow theOdocultists todeter-
minewhentheycouldworship. Culture andthegospel clashed in
spiteofsixty-seven yearsofcompromised christianpresence. Asthe
parishpriesttoldthepolice,'Odofanscontinued to chantand
paradeandoperate around thechurch precincts todistract a large
68
crowdof the congregation', brandishing sharp matchets
(Nnadozie, 18/7/1989). Thepoliceintervened. Theworshippers
stayedinthechurch tilldusk.Manywerebeaten andmatcheted on
theirwayhome.Butthechiefclaims thathevisited allwardsto
ensurethattherewascalm.On17thAugust hedecided toreplyto
theGovernment's letter.
Thecombative tonewasanaspect oftheaftermath-the trickles
aftertheheavydownpour. It wasalsoreported thata systematic
vengeance wasmetedoutto offending christians;forinstance,
here,a landlord wouldorderthetenantto quit,there,a father
wouldrefuseto paythe schoolfeesof a 'religious' daughter
(Obetta,25/8/89).TheAkuRoadTransport Uniondecided that
Catholicsshouldnot entercommercial vehicles to farmsand
markets.Attacks onchristiansat funeralsincreased.Manymore
subtleformsofpunishment continued asthechorus mounted that
the parishpriestshouldbe removed. A re-invigorated con-
sciousness culturesuffused
of a desireto protecttraditional the
community.
Acertain staunch,educated Catholic,O.P.Udenigwe, wroteto
theBishop inobvious dismay overtheconflict.Hecontended that
theunsavoury aspectsof Odo hadbeenremoved; itwasnotmerely
event.Thebattleofevangelization
a cultural couldnotbewonby
andAkupeople
confrontation neitherwanted a non-indigenepriest
tofighttheirbattlenordidthewomen seekliberation.
Thebattle
wasperceived asa reverendfather'spersonalwarofvengeance.

V.Analysis
Theclashbetrays howchristianity hasbeenreceived in Igbo-
Odo.In 1985,aspartoftheCentenary celebrationoftheRoman
Catholic enterprise
missionary a bookwasproduced
in Igboland,
The Advent
entitled, andGrowth Catholic
of the ChurchinEnuguDiocese.
It
documents forty-seven
parish andmonasticactivities
ofthechurch
withmuchsatisfactionandemphasis ongrowth. Fewglances are
thrownatareasofconflict. betraythenatureof
Yettheseconflicts
theexpansion.
Thecommunity preserved thecorecovenants withtheancestors
asthesustenanceofthecommunity. Theneedto copewiththe
where
a fieldofinteraction
factcreated
colonial theencounter with
thechristian
agentofchange occurred.Inthatthreshold,ecological
 69
or socio-economic andpolitical factorsdetermined thepatternof
horizontal growth. Patronage ofchristianity served asan instru-
mentto achievea hostof needs:education, wealth,status,
individual andcommunal Intheprocess
rivalries. ofencounter, the
communities moved fromapatronage whentheyinvited
period, mis-
sionaries, througha persecution period,whenprimalists reacted
violentlytotheprocess ofdomesticating newchristian toa
values,
compromise when thenewagentofchange
period, wasroutinized. A
modus vivendi wascreated sothatboththechurchandtheshrines
werethereasaspects ofthecommunity. Conflict aroseonlywhen
onepartyasserted itselfovertheother.In thisAkuconflict, the
weakAnglican Church kepttothecompromise The
of yesteryears.
chiefcongratulated them.
Thecompromise ofyesteryears ensuredthatthechurch andthe
gospeldidnotattack thespirits which governed theland.Thecove-
nantwiththegodsofthefathers wasstillthedominant forcein
Igbo-Odo. Theseminar exposed thebreadth ofthefailure ofthe
church.
Theeclectic approach oftheadaptatiostrategywasexposed bythe
1983solution. It assumed thatcertainaspects oftheculture could
bepicked outfornegotiation withthevillagers. Thedemand to
'amend'thesebetrayed aninnocence aboutthenatureofspiritual
warfare.It drewattention tothelackofdepthinbiblical moorings
of somescholarly theologizing on indigenization. Theseminar
betrayed thegapbetween scholarlytheologizing in theAfrican
church andtherealityatthegrassroots. Noneoftheanswers pro-
ferredbyInculturation theologians couldbeapplied. Theseminar
perceived culture as'God-given' but,inpractice, confrontedit as
'Satanic'.Thisis an unresolved dilemma in modernAfrican
theology. Secondly andarising fromtheabove isthedoffing ofhat
to the 'continuities' in theorywhileemphasising the 'discon-
tinuities'in practice.
Ofmuchinterest isthatbothparties indulged ina warofsubter-
fuges.It wasobvious thattheclashwasbetween a newcovenant
proferred byJesusandthe oldcovenant withthe godsof the
fathers.
YetUdenigwe claimed thatthespiritual elements inOdo
hadbeenremoved including thecharms. Thisisuntrue.Thechief
claimed to beprotecting culture. Thisignored thespiritswithin
culturalforms.
Thechristians tooka legalhighroad-protection ofwomen and
70
freedom ofworship. Theseignored thecoreofthematterbecause
ofa desire toattractthelightning rodofthesecular government on
theheadsoftheOdopeople. Nigeria isa secularstate.So,thelevel
of thegovernment's intervention remains limited.Quiteoften,
politicalconsiderations determine thereaction to eachsituation.
Butthelawenforcement agentsaresocorrupt thattheirpresence
taints.Manymaybelieve thattheywerepaidtoprotect thechurch-
goers.Others presumed thatthebishop usedhispersonal relations
withsomegovernment officials.
Theimpression wasstrong thatthe
reverendfathersfoughtAkupeoplefor reasonsbeyondthe
theological;afterall,thecompromise between christians andOdo
hadlastedfora longperiod. Besides,thesilence ofAnglicans was
noteworthy. ThePolicepresence diminished the imageof the
church anddidnotconstitute a viablesolution.
Themop-up activityoftheOdopeople indicated strongly that,
at the grassroots level,neitherthe questionof inculturation
theology noranyviableanswers (thusenabling theology to assist
christian-living)hademerged. Thus,whentheReverend Father
exposed thesecrets ofOdocultsinhissermons, thecongregation
hissed indisapproval. Some walked out.Thechallenge toAfrican
theologians remained because culturaltheology is fraughtwith
problems. Anexample isFr.J.P.C.Nzomiwu's article inAfricana
Marbugensia in theyearofthecrisis,1989.Heintoned that
Theinculturationorindigenization
ofChristianity
inIgbo culture
would,
mean
therefore, nooppositionbetweenchristian
valuesandthegood values
oftheIgboman, suchthattheIgboman istruly
andfullyanIgbo man and
aChristianatthesame time,noteither/or.
(Nzomiwu, 1989,p.17)
In theAkugrassroots context, howdoesthisaidthepeopleto
experience thepresence oftheKingdom andyetcelebrate UlaOdo
Aku? Iftheysaccharined outthesacrificesandcovenant-renewals,
wouldit bethesame?Willthepeople acceptsuchamendments?
Thus,thebundle ofdilemmas heapupwithout a viablesolution.
Whenpneumatic theology supersedes culturaltheology anexitwill
emerge.
 71
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